Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall (1973) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall ( 1973 ) 1h 42min London, 1940. Aspiring jazz musician and future comedy legend Terence "Spike" Milligan reluctantly obeys his call-up and joins the Royal Artillery regiment at Bexhill, where he begins ...

See full summary » Director: Spike Milligan (based on the novel by), Johnny Byrne (screenplay) | 1 more credit » Stars: 29 July 2012 3:05 PM, -08:00 | The Guardian - TV News Around The Web a list of 372 titles created 10 Sep 2012 a list of 1620 titles created 25 Dec 2012 a list of 110 titles created 12 Dec 2015 a list of 104 titles created 4 months ago a list of 535 titles created 3 weeks ago Title: Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall (1973) 5.9/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. See more awards » Photos The British National Health System is skewered in this comedy set in a rundown London hospital. The hospital is filled with wacky staff members and patients, and the film strives to get all...

See full summary » Director: Jack Gold Lady Booby alias 'Belle', the lively wife of the fat landed squire Sir Thomas Booby, has a lusty eye on the attractive, intelligent villager Joseph Andrews, a Latin pupil and protégé of ... See full summary » Director: Tony Richardson 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 5.1/10 X The Queen of England gives birth to twins. In order to protect the blood line one is kept and the other hidden in a pig sty and is raised to think it's mother is the pig. Lurkalot is the ... See full summary » Director: Bob Kellett A trio of randy sailors go looking for girl-friends in 18th-century London. Director: Peter Coe Adolf Hitler, born in Braunau, one man who will change the history of the world forever. It follows his childhood to the death of his mother and his broken ambition to become an artist, ... See full summary » Director: Dennis Wise Edit Storyline London, 1940.

Aspiring jazz musician and future comedy legend Terence "Spike" Milligan reluctantly obeys his call-up and joins the Royal Artillery regiment at Bexhill, where he begins training to take part in the War. But along the way Spike and his friends get involved in many amusing - and some not-so amusing - scrapes. Based on the first volume of Milligan's war memoirs. Written by Anonymous After Young Winston - Young Milligan! Genres: 27 April 1973 (Ireland) See more » Also Known As: Két Balláb az ezredben - avagy hogyan járultam hozzá Hitler bukásához See more » Filming Locations: Did You Know? Trivia Spike Milligan was 21 when called up to serve in WW2, however Jim Dale was 38 when he portrayed Milligan in the film. See more » Goofs The red and blue teams are driving Willys MB Jeeps in 1940. The Willys MB was not manufactured until 1941 and was not used by the British Army until 1942.

See more » Quotes Spike Milligan : [Having spent all night on sentry duty, Spike hears footsteps] Halt! Who goes there? Unseen soldier: [In a broad Yorkshire accent] Adolf Bloody 'itler! (United Kingdom) – See all my reviews Young musician Spike Milligan is playing a gig when WW2 is announced. Spike is drafted into army and goes about training prior to joining action. On the way he and his squad experience plenty of amusing antics but also see the futility and losses of wartime. Based on the first volume of Spike's wartime memoirs. Spike Milligan was the last goon to go and his unique sense of humour will be greatly missed, although it does live on in many of today's comedians. This is a film version of his memoirs of his time in the second world war. The plot sticks close to the book, focusing on the training rather than later in the war. However the film can't completely bring out the absolute madness inherent in Spike's writing. The film does occasionally have touches of him but mostly this feels a little like a carry on film without the smut.

The comments on the futility of war are OK but they feel like they're heavily thrown into the mix and don't sit well alongside the comedy. MASH did better than this later. This film is more like something between a Carry On film and MASH. It neither manages to do the satire well nor do the laughs as well as you'd hope. It does average with both but never feels comfortable with either. The characters are quite well drawn. Dale does well as Spike and manages to do a good job without doing an impression but Spike himself is given little to do as his own father. The support cast are all good but don't manage to shine as much as one would have hoped. Maynard, Lowe, Davis and Hughes are all nice surprises but all the best stuff is kept for Dale to use. Overall Spike fans will feel a little let down by the losses made in transition from page to screen. The comedy aspires to be Milliganesque but only occasionally does his hand shine through. The end result is still entertaining but never as funny as it should be. I suggest you all read the book rather than watching this. RIP Spike  happily your legacy is with us everyday and not just in this film.

9 of 11 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes William Cook's top 10 books by comedians | Culture | The Guardian William Cook's top 10 books by comedians William Cook Sunday 3 November 2002 19.00 EST First published on Sunday 3 November 2002 19.00 EST Share on Messenger Close William Cook writes the weekly comedy page in the Guardian Guide and a monthly comedy column for Guardian Unlimited. He is the author of Ha Bloody Ha - Comedians Talking and The Comedy Store - The Club That Changed British Comedy. He is also the editor of Tragically I Was An Only Twin - The Complete Peter Cook, which has just been published by Century. Read Nicholas Lezard's review 1. Adolf Hitler: My Part In His Downfall By Spike Milligan The first and finest volume of Milligan's second world war memoirs, from enlistment in the British army in 1940 to his arrival in Africa in 1943. Intensely atmospheric, surprisingly poignant - but above all, heroically irreverent and absurd.

"At Victoria Station [they] gave me a travel warrant, a white feather and a picture of Hitler marked 'this is your enemy'. I searched every compartment, but he wasn't on the train." 2. More Please by Barry Humphries An erudite and candid autobiography by the creator of Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson, with absorbing accounts of 50s Melbourne, 60s London and his harrowing battle with the bottle. "I always wanted more. I never had enough milk or money or socks or sex or holidays or first editions or solitude or gramophone records or free meals or real friends or guiltless pleasure or neckties or applause... " 3. The Reluctant Jester by Michael Bentine The forgotten Goon, who went on to create children's classics like The Bumblies and Potty Time, Bentine was also an old Etonian, an RAF intelligence officer and the grandson of the vice-president of Peru. A warm, intimate, tragicomic autobiography by a fascinating all-rounder whose life-enhancing humour was just one of his many talents. 4.

The Essential Lenny Bruce The original unexpurgated satirical routines, edited by John Cohen, of America's most original and unexpurgated satirist. "All my humour is based on destruction and despair," said Bruce. "If the whole world were tranquil, without disease and violence, I'd be standing in the breadline - right back of J Edgar Hoover." 5. The Complete Acid Drops by Kenneth Williams A collection of caustic bon mots, introduced by Gyles Brandreth, from the great British raconteur who was so much more than just another Carry On turn. "That he died a burden and disappointment to himself is so sad, and wrong," said Brandreth, "because he seems as potent a presence as ever." The Kenneth Williams Diaries and The Kenneth Williams Letters (both edited by Russell Davies) are equally scintillating. 6. Frank Skinner by Frank Skinner Alcoholism, Catholicism and West Bromwich Albionism from the comedian formerly known as Chris Collins. An incredibly frank autobiography written in a naturalistic style that flits conversationally between past and present.

As engaging as his classless stand-up comedy, but which confession will alarm his laddish fans more - the sobering account of how he lost his virginity to a prostitute called Corky, or the shocking revelation that this Rabelaisian comic has an MA in English literature from Warwick University? 7. No Cure For Cancer by Denis Leary Transcript of the iconoclastic stand-up show that helped break British comedy's politically correct cartel, by the American comic who loves cows - just as long as they're in a hamburger or something you can wear. A red-blooded, red meat-eating, red pack Marlboro-smoking celebration of (virtually) everything that's bad for you - including drinking, drugs, war and pissing on the seat in public toilets. 8. Self Help For The Bleak by Rich Hall Hilarious parody of those supermarket change-your-life manuals, by the brilliant Emmy award-winning David Letterman and Saturday Night Live veteran. "When someone says, 'It's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all', keep in mind you're talking to a loser. Try to find someone who's never loved at all and get their side of the story." 9. Are You Dave Gorman?

by Dave Gorman & Danny Wallace Danny Wallace bet Dave Gorman he couldn't find 54 other people called Dave Gorman. Dave bet Danny he could. The resultant trek takes them as far afield as the USA (where they get caught in a tornado), Israel (where they cause a security alert at the airport) and Norway (where they lose their shoes). A life-affirming tale of English eccentricity about nothing in particular apart from having a good time all the time. 10. Stand Up! On Being A Comedian by Oliver Double Oliver Double is a comedian. He's also the first person to write a doctoral thesis about stand-up comedy. And now he teaches a practical stand-up module as a drama lecturer at the University of Kent. Yet despite its academic pedigree, this book isn't half as dry as it sounds. Part popular history, part practical how-to manual, it's an intelligent yet entertaining survey of the evolution of stand-up comedy, from music hall via working men's clubs to alternative comedy and beyond.

Mussolini: His Part In My Downfall (War Memoirs, #4) by Spike Milligan — Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists Shelves: autobiography-memoir , funny , human-condition , absurd , holocaust-ww2 , madness-mental-illness , italy , war I read this many years ago, as a teenager, the whole series of Milligan's war memoirs in fast succession, actually. I really find him a comic genius, if such a thing can be said of anyone, not necessarily because he's funnier than anyone else (that sorta depends on context, I reckon) but because his vision of the world is so different to everyone else's. Anyway - I loved the whole 'trilogy', but this is the one that packs the real punch. You're so absorbed in the banal, hilarious but also horrif I read this many years ago, as a teenager, the whole series of Milligan's war memoirs in fast succession, actually.

I really find him a comic genius, if such a thing can be said of anyone, not necessarily because he's funnier than anyone else (that sorta depends on context, I reckon) but because his vision of the world is so different to everyone else's. Anyway - I loved the whole 'trilogy', but this is the one that packs the real punch. You're so absorbed in the banal, hilarious but also horrific world of Milligan's war, you're almost comfortable with it, and he's sort of distanced from everything awful that happens around him, or a least able to look for the absurd in it, and find pleasure where he can (music, collegiality, japes, the endless search for women to sleep with), that when he is finally and unexpectedly taken by an extreme breakdown it shocks and moves. You realise that there's no way to escape the cumulative effect of the whole lot, it's been built up in all the books, and then it comes to get him, completely and uncontrollably. It had a big impact on me as a 15 year old. ...more Shelves: biographical , ww2 This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Now he's off to Italy...could you guess?? Ha, Hitler was good for something...'The incredible relic of a Roman City [Pompeii] free of camera-clicking tourists was a situation I had to thank Hitler for. Thank you Hitler.' Followed by Hitler's response: '"You hear zat Goebbles? Milligan is visiting Pompeii. Keep all tourists out, and zer ruins in!"' Yet again, Spike continues to inspire and amaze with his ability to document the realities of war, yet throw humour right at the heart of it. And yes f Now he's off to Italy...could you guess?? Ha, Hitler was good for something...'The incredible relic of a Roman City [Pompeii] free of camera-clicking tourists was a situation I had to thank Hitler for. Thank you Hitler.' Followed by Hitler's response: '"You hear zat Goebbles? Milligan is visiting Pompeii. Keep all tourists out, and zer ruins in!"' Yet again, Spike continues to inspire and amaze with his ability to document the realities of war, yet throw humour right at the heart of it.

And yes folks, this is what won the war for us: 'In an hour the planes flew over, and we let fly [shoot]. The Major is running up, waving his arms. "No, no, blood fools, they're ours." "Don't worry, sir, when they fly back again, we'll apologise," I said.' And then comes out Spike the politician: 'The war was a lifesaver for the Conservatives, it solved the unemployment problem, and American banks have agree to prop up the economy...' Spike the realist: 'It never occurred to me that some of the boxes that were hot might still contain unexploded cordite charges, fortunately they didn't go off and that's why I'm able to write this diary today.' And to end the book, a photograph of the letter his parents received to tell him he'd been wounded, documenting their reply as "Blast, they missed him."! Spike leaves the book on a cliff-hanger: will he recover from his current psychiatric state, where he seems to to have lost his spark and developed a stammer.

Well there's only one way to find out...bring on Vol 5/7 (nearly there!) ...more Mar 11, 2014 Mike Steven rated it really liked it I think this book is excellent but there is a definite change of tone from his earlier war diaries. In the earlier episodes, Milligan is lighthearted and his crazy sense of humour pervades. In this installment, death and tragedy looms large from the early chapters as Milligan and his friends begin to struggle with the hardships of war. The book begins with Milligan landing in Italy and the comical observations and word-play that you would expect accompany his arrival. However, a short illness see I think this book is excellent but there is a definite change of tone from his earlier war diaries. In the earlier episodes, Milligan is lighthearted and his crazy sense of humour pervades. In this installment, death and tragedy looms large from the early chapters as Milligan and his friends begin to struggle with the hardships of war. The book begins with Milligan landing in Italy and the comical observations and word-play that you would expect accompany his arrival.

However, a short illness sees him have to attend the medical facilities and the number of wounded and dead men that he encounters clearly leave a lasting impression. This mention of death is constantly revisited thoughout the book: he talks about how war effects civilians and children as well as soldiers that he has fought alongside. Throughout the book there is also some very graphic imagery of war - the white teeth of a gunner showing through the black, charred flesh of his corpse, the dead baby being held by the woman in black. Milligan even recalls friends who survived the war who he is no longer able to ask for information as they have died since. This is juxtaposed with his usual comic capering and, on occasion, makes it uncomfortable reading. But that's the point. I found this difficult to read at times but it is definitely worth reading for any fans of comedy or people who want a realistic view of war. ...more Shelves: history This is actually book FOUR of Spike Milligan's war autobiography, Mussolini: His Part in My Downfall, spanning his landing in September 1943 to his eventual withdraw due to ‘battle fatigue’ in January 1944.

This book differs quite a bit from the earlier works, with the memories starker and more densely packed, with less in the way of humerous asides and and almost no sketches or doodles. In this respect, the book itself mirrors the tense frame of mind of Spike through the period. Ultimately, it’ This is actually book FOUR of Spike Milligan's war autobiography, Mussolini: His Part in My Downfall, spanning his landing in September 1943 to his eventual withdraw due to ‘battle fatigue’ in January 1944. This book differs quite a bit from the earlier works, with the memories starker and more densely packed, with less in the way of humerous asides and and almost no sketches or doodles. In this respect, the book itself mirrors the tense frame of mind of Spike through the period. Ultimately, it’s an unflinching account of the build up of pressure that became too much for many men. It strikes an incredibly genuine chord in its portrait of life in the ranks, with plenty of ‘blue’ language and banter as you would expect in such situations.

In fact, it does such a good job that you really finish wondering how anyone came home ‘sane’ after experiencing the prolonged, tense day to day life that involved being away from home and your loved ones, in the pouring rain, hauling big guns around in the knee deep mud, living in the same clothes day after day, no showers, no beds, with no hope of an end any time soon. Then you consider the fact that a few kilometres away are a bunch of people whose job it is to kill you. That said, the humour still shines through, and now I’m going to face the challenge of finding volumes FIVE through EIGHT. ...more Shelves: history I used to work with Milligan's mate Gunner White. It was a sheer delight and a real privilege. Reading Milligan's war memoirs are poignant in themselves and poignant in reminding me (with greater than average clarity) of a special time in my own life. The jokes may be old and corny but they make me laugh. They throw the truth of living through active service during World War Two into a chiaroscuro of comic, tragic, dull, thunderous and frightful activity.

The end is foreshadowed but comes with a I used to work with Milligan's mate Gunner White. It was a sheer delight and a real privilege. Reading Milligan's war memoirs are poignant in themselves and poignant in reminding me (with greater than average clarity) of a special time in my own life. The jokes may be old and corny but they make me laugh. They throw the truth of living through active service during World War Two into a chiaroscuro of comic, tragic, dull, thunderous and frightful activity. The end is foreshadowed but comes with a thump. It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. After living through all of this it was little wonder that Joe White was not only the funniest man I ever worked with, but also the wisest; and one who gave me a life-long lack of respect the any jumped up suit who had risen above his ability level. ...more Jul 01, 2014 Thomas Murphy rated it it was amazing For me, the first three books in this trilogy (stay with me) are by far the best. Once Spike is invalided out of the front line, however, the tone of the books changes dramatically.

From Spike's point of view, I can understand perfectly: this is what happened to him and not everything in life is nice. However, even those things in life which he did enjoy (such as a blooming romance) do not necessarily make for good comedy. By the time the reader reaches this book, he has already got three comic b For me, the first three books in this trilogy (stay with me) are by far the best. Once Spike is invalided out of the front line, however, the tone of the books changes dramatically. From Spike's point of view, I can understand perfectly: this is what happened to him and not everything in life is nice. However, even those things in life which he did enjoy (such as a blooming romance) do not necessarily make for good comedy. By the time the reader reaches this book, he has already got three comic books behind him and the change of tone jars. Things only get worse in books five and six of the trilogy. Spike should have stopped at three - as was apparently his original intention. ...more Shelves: comedy And the war goes on. Money can't buy you happiness but it does buy you one of his books &....OK it can buy you happiness.

I first read Spikes War diary books as a teenager in the 70's. I have reread them at least twice since. Apr 12, 2014 Tim Schneider rated it really liked it Milligan finds his way from North Africa to Italy and sees the true face of war. Not that there weren't hints of it before. But Milligan's experiences in Italy clearly hit home more forcefully than his time in Africa. There's still a light feel to large portions of the memoir. He is still one of the Goons. But there are clear signs throughout the work of the fact that his sense of humor can't shut out the true horrors of combat. The greatness of these memoirs comes from the perspective of war th Milligan finds his way from North Africa to Italy and sees the true face of war. Not that there weren't hints of it before. But Milligan's experiences in Italy clearly hit home more forcefully than his time in Africa. There's still a light feel to large portions of the memoir. He is still one of the Goons. But there are clear signs throughout the work of the fact that his sense of humor can't shut out the true horrors of combat.

The greatness of these memoirs comes from the perspective of war through the eyes of a very funny man. It humanizes what Milligan is telling us. And when the really bad stuff hits, it hits all the harder for it. Oct 05, 2013 JB rated it it was amazing I discovered this in my high school library. I knew Spike Milligan from listening to The Goon Show. My class mates were interested in it only because the 'f' word was in it. Spike's runaway-steamroller prose liberally peppered with gags captures the sheer lunacy that was his experience of the WWII trenches in Europe. There is mud, gore, death and awful rations, along with much cold water poured on any hint of glorifying the experience or reason for it. A good balance to the adventure story varie I discovered this in my high school library. I knew Spike Milligan from listening to The Goon Show. My class mates were interested in it only because the 'f' word was in it. Spike's runaway-steamroller prose liberally peppered with gags captures the sheer lunacy that was his experience of the WWII trenches in Europe.

There is mud, gore, death and awful rations, along with much cold water poured on any hint of glorifying the experience or reason for it. A good balance to the adventure story variety of war auto/biography. This volume of Spike's war memoirs includes the delightful "Corridors of Power Mk 1". ...more Jun 04, 2016 Kevin Treweeks rated it really liked it Long time since I read a book in a week Thoroughly enjoyable with wonderful insights into the life of a conscripted soldier in WWII A few things will jolt, but that is the contemporary voice The only disappointment was his description of his downfall at the end which seemed a bit glossed over, but Miilligan rarely dwells on the negative.

I'm now forced to return to "Adolf Hitler my part in his downfall" that I first read over 20 years ago and expect to get locked into his north African experience fo Long time since I read a book in a week Thoroughly enjoyable with wonderful insights into the life of a conscripted soldier in WWII A few things will jolt, but that is the contemporary voice The only disappointment was his description of his downfall at the end which seemed a bit glossed over, but Miilligan rarely dwells on the negative. I'm now forced to return to "Adolf Hitler my part in his downfall" that I first read over 20 years ago and expect to get locked into his north African experience for the rest of the summer ...more Oct 17, 2014 Anthony Ryan rated it it was amazing The fourth volume in Spike Milligan's war memoirs is simultaneously the funniest and most tragic of the series. Milligan's trademark anarchic wit has rarely been better expressed, finding perhaps its most fitting setting amid the myriad absurdities of military life and the horrors of war as his artillery battery advances up the Italian peninsular towards a fateful date with a German mortar.

Painfully honest and frequently hilarious, but sadly we never do get to learn the name of the midshipman w The fourth volume in Spike Milligan's war memoirs is simultaneously the funniest and most tragic of the series. Milligan's trademark anarchic wit has rarely been better expressed, finding perhaps its most fitting setting amid the myriad absurdities of military life and the horrors of war as his artillery battery advances up the Italian peninsular towards a fateful date with a German mortar. Painfully honest and frequently hilarious, but sadly we never do get to learn the name of the midshipman who's face showed white through the wheelhouse window. ...more Shelves: wwii-allies Spike continues his excellent satirical and critical look at his time in the 19th Royal Artillery during WWII as it slogs its way up and down Italy. One gets the impression especially from this installment that this writing was catharsis for him given the trouble with PTSD after he endured a heavy mortar attack and subsequent wounding. Jul 27, 2011 Jack rated it really liked it Loved reading this volume. Spike gives a really good insight into the daily life of a soldier on active duty.

He does his usual trick of being both poignant and funny at the same time. I really hope in the further volumes he keeps me up to date with his friends from the regiment. I'm really interested to know what happened to them all. Sep 23, 2015 Jeanette Devereux rated it it was amazing Whilst at school I got very little done because a friend and I were always distracted by spikes books.His captions which accompanied photographs were hilarious. We must have been so bored with class. Our...or my reports always reflected our regular misbehaving. Oh God if only I could have those days back. Jun 06, 2012 Chris Reznor rated it really liked it Had Bill Bryson and Ernest Hemingway teamed up to write an account of the banalities of war in WWII Italy, this would have been the result (though probably a bit better written). Nonetheless, a fun read. Spike Milligan | The Great Hairy Goondex | Fandom powered by Wikia The Great Hairy Goondex Spike loves this article! This is Spike Milligan's biography.

Terence Alan Patrick Seán Milligan KBE (16 April 1918–27 February 2002), known as Spike Milligan, was a comedian, writer, musician (he played the piano, trumpet, guitar and saxophone), poet and playwright. Milligan was the co-creator and the principal writer of The Goon Show in which he also performed. Contents Edit Milligan was born in Ahmednagar, India, on 16 April 1918, the son of an Irish-born father, Captain Leo Alphonso Milligan, MSM, RA, who was serving in the British Indian Army. His mother, Florence Mary Winifred Kettleband, was born in England. He spent most of his childhood in Rangoon (Yangon), capital of Burma (Myanmar). He was educated at the Convent of Jesus and Mary, Poona, and St Paul's Christian Brothers, de la Salle, Rangoon. He lived most of his life in England and served in the British Army.

Second World War Edit During most of the late 1930s and early 1940s Milligan performed as an amateur jazz vocalist and trumpeter before, during and after being called up for military service, but even then he wrote and performed comedy sketches as part of concerts to entertain troops. After his call-up, but before being sent abroad, he and fellow musician Harry Edgington (nicknamed Edge-ying-Tong which gave birth to one of Milligan's most memorable musical creations, the Ying Tong Song) would compose surreal stories, filled with puns and skewed logic, as a way of staving off the boredom of life in barracks. During World War II he served as a signaller in the 56th Heavy Regiment Royal Artillery, D Battery, as Gunner Milligan, 954024 with the First Army in North Africa and then in Italy. He rose to the rank of Lance-Bombardier and was about to be promoted to Bombardier when he was wounded in action in Italy.

Subsequently hospitalised for a mortar wound to the right leg and shell shock , he was demoted by an unsympathetic commanding officer (identified in his war diaries as Major Evan 'Jumbo' Jenkins) back to Gunner. It was Milligan's opinion that Major Jenkins did not like him due to the fact that Milligan constantly kept the morale of his fellow soldiers up, whereas Major Jenkins' approach was to take an attitude towards the troops similar to that of Lord Kitchener. An incident also mentioned was when Major Jenkins had invited Gunners Milligan and Edgington to his bivouac to play some jazz with him, only to discover that the musicianship of the aforementioned gunners was far superior to his own ability to play the military tune 'Whistling Rufus' (albeit rather badly). After his hospitalisation, Milligan drifted through a number of rear-echelon military jobs in Italy, eventually becoming a full-time entertainer. He played the guitar with a jazz/comedy group called The Bill Hall Trio in concert parties for the troops. After being demobilised, Milligan remained in Italy playing with the Trio but returned to England soon after.

While he was with the Central Pool of Artists (a group he described as composed "of bomb-happy squaddies") he began to write parodies of their mainstream plays, that displayed many of the key elements of what would later become The Goon Show with Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe and Michael Bentine. Radio Edit Milligan returned to jazz in the late 1940s and made a precarious living with the Hall trio and other musical comedy acts. He was also trying to break into the world of radio, as either a performer or as a script writer. His first success in radio was as writer for comedian Derek Roy's show. Milligan soon became involved with a relatively radical comedy project, The Goon Show. Known during its first season as Crazy People, or in full, "The Junior Crazy Gang featuring those Crazy People, the Goons!", the name was an attempt to make the programme palatable to BBC officials by connecting it with the popular group of comedians known as The Crazy Gang.[citation needed] Milligan was the primary author of The Goon Show scripts (though many were written jointly with Larry Stephens, Eric Sykes and others) as well as a star performer.

Ad-libbing Edit Milligan also had a number of acting parts in theatre, film and television series; one of his last screen appearances was in the BBC dramatisation of Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast, and he was (almost inevitably) noted as an ad-libber. One of Milligan's most famous ad-lib incidents occurred during a visit to Australia in the late 1960s. He was interviewed live on air and remained in the studio for the news broadcast that followed (read by Rod McNeil), during which Milligan constantly interjected, adding his own name to news items. As a result, he was banned from making any further live appearances on the ABC. The ABC also changed its national policy so that talent had to leave the studio after interviews were complete. A tape of the bulletin survives and has been included in an ABC Radio audio compilation, also on the BBC tribute CD, Vivat Milligna [sic]. Poetry Edit Milligan also wrote verse, considered to be within the genre of literary nonsense. His poetry has been described by comedian Stephen Fry as "absolutely immortal - greatly in the tradition of Lear"[2].

His most famous poem, On the Ning Nang Nong, was voted the UK's favourite comic poem in 1998 in a nationwide poll, ahead of other nonsense poets including Lewis Carroll and Edward Lear[3]. This nonsense verse, set to music, became a favourite Australia-wide, performed week after week by the ABC children's programme Playschool. Milligan included it on his album No One's Gonna Change Our World in 1969 to aid the World Wildlife Fund. In December 2007 it was reported that, according to OFSTED, it is amongst the ten most commonly taught poems in primary schools in the UK.[4] While depressed, Milligan wrote serious poetry. He also wrote a novel Puckoon, parodying the style of Dylan Thomas, and a very successful series of war memoirs, including Adolf Hitler: My Part in his Downfall (book) (1971), Rommel: Gunner Who? A Confrontation in the Desert (1974), Monty: His part in my victory (1976)and Mussolini: His Part in my Downfall (1978).

Milligan's seven volumes of memoirs cover the years from 1939 to 1950 (essentially his call-up, war service, first breakdown, time spent entertaining in Italy, and return to the UK). He wrote comedy songs, including "Purple Aeroplane", which was a parody of The Beatles' song "Yellow Submarine". Glimpses of his bouts with depression which led to the nervous breakdowns, can be found in his serious poetry, which is compiled in Open Heart University. Plays Spike Milligan also wrote the one-act play The Bed-Sitting Room, which premiered at the Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury. It was adapted to a longer play, which made its debut at the Mermaid Theatre, London. Cartoons Milligan contributed occasional cartoons to the satirical magazine Private Eye. Most were visualizations of one-line jokes. For example, a young boy sees the Concorde and asks his father "What's that?". The reply is "That's a flying groundnut scheme, son." Personal life Edit After their retirement, Milligan's parents and his younger brother Desmond moved to Australia.

His mother lived the rest of her life in the coastal village of Woy Woy on the New South Wales Central Coast, just north of Sydney; as a result, Milligan became a regular visitor to Australia and made a number of radio and TV programmes there, including The Idiot Weekly with Bobby Limb. In July 2007, it was proposed that the suspension bridge on the cyclepath from Woy Woy to Gosford be named after him.[5][6] From the 1960s onwards Milligan was a regular correspondent with Robert Graves. Milligan's letters to Graves usually addressed a question to do with classical studies. The letters form part of Graves' bequest to St. John's College, Oxford. Health Edit He suffered from bipolar disorder for most of his life, having at least ten major mental breakdowns, several lasting over a year. He spoke candidly about his condition and its effect on his life: I have got so low that I have asked to be hospitalised and for deep narcosis (sleep). I cannot stand being awake. The pain is too much...

Something has happened to me, this vital spark has stopped burning - I go to a dinner table now and I don't say a word, just sit there like a dodo. Normally I am the centre of attention, keep the conversation going - so that is depressing in itself. It's like another person taking over, very strange. The most important thing I say is 'good evening' and then I go quiet.[7] Prince of Wales Edit The Prince of Wales was a noted fan, and Milligan caused a stir by calling him a "little grovelling bastard" on live television in 1994.[8] He later faxed the prince, saying "I suppose a knighthood is out of the question?" In reality he and the Prince were very close friends,[7] and he was finally made a Knight Commander of the British Empire (KBE) (honorary because of his Irish citizenship) in 2000. He had been made an Honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1992. Campaigning Edit He was a strident campaigner on environmental matters, particularly arguing against unnecessary noise, such as the use of muzak.

In 1971, Milligan caused controversy by attacking an art exhibition at the Hayward Gallery with a hammer.[9] The exhibit consisted of catfish, oysters and shrimp that were to be electrocuted as part of the exhibition. He was a strong opponent of cruelty against animals and, during an appearance on Room 101, chose fox hunting as a pet hate, and succeeded in banishing it to the eponymous room. In 1996, he successfully campaigned for the restoration of London's Elfin Oak. He was also a public opponent of domestic violence, dedicating one of his books to Erin Pizzey. Family Edit Milligan had three children with his first wife June Marlow: Laura, Seán and Síle. They were married in 1952 and divorced in 1960 during the Goon Show. He had one daughter with his second wife, Patricia Ridgeway: the actress Jane Milligan (b. 1964). Milligan and Patricia were married in June of 1962 with George Martin as best man. The marriage ended in 1978 with Patricia's death.

In 1975 Milligan fathered a son, James, in an affair with Margaret Maughan. Another child, a daughter Romany, is suspected to have been born at the same time by a Canadian journalist named Roberta Watt. His last wife was Shelagh Sinclair, to whom he was married from 1983 to his death on 27 February 2002. Four of his children have recently collaborated with documentary makers on a new multi-platform programme called I Told You I Was Ill: The Life and Legacy of Spike Milligan (2005) and accompanying website.[10] Death Edit Even late in life, Milligan's black humour had not deserted him. After the death of friend Harry Secombe from cancer, he said, "I'm glad he died before me, because I didn't want him to sing at my funeral." A recording of Secombe singing was played at Milligan's memorial service. He also wrote his own obituary, in which he stated repeatedly that he "wrote the Goon show and died".

Milligan died from liver disease, at the age of 83, on 27 February 2002, at his home in Rye, East Sussex. On the day of his funeral, 8 March 2002, his coffin was carried to St Thomas's Church in Winchelsea, Sussex, and was draped in the flag of the Republic of Ireland.[11] He had once quipped that he wanted his headstone to bear the words "I told you I was ill." He was buried at St Thomas's Church cemetery in Winchelsea, East Sussex, but the Chichester Diocese refused to allow this epitaph.[12] A compromise was reached with the Irish translation, "Dúirt mé leat go raibh mé breoite", and additionally in English, "Love, light, peace". Legacy Edit The film of Puckoon, starring his daughter, the actress Jane Milligan, was released after his death. Milligan lived for several years in Holden Road, Woodside Park and at The Crescent, Barnet, and was a strong supporter of the Finchley Society.

His old house in Woodside Park is now demolished, but there is a blue plaque in his memory on the new house on the site. The Finchley Society is trying to get a statue of him erected in Finchley. There is also a campaign to erect a statue in the London Borough of Lewisham where he grew up (see Honor Oak). After coming to the UK from India in the 1930s he lived at 50 Riseldine Road, Brockley and attended Brownhill Boys' school (later to become Catford Boys' School which was demolished in 1994). Lynsey De Paul is a patron of the Spike Milligan Statue Memorial Fund. There is also a plaque and bench located at the Wadestown Library, Wellington New Zealand in an area called Spike Milligan corner. In a BBC poll in August 1999, Spike Milligan was voted the "funniest person of the last 1000 years". Also, in a 2005 poll to find The Comedians' Comedian, he was voted among the top 50 comedy acts ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders. Milligan has been portrayed twice in films.

In the adaptation of his novel Adolf Hiltler: My Part in His Downfall, he was played by Jim Dale, while Milligan himself played his own father. He was also portrayed by Edward Tudor-Pole in The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004). A 2008 stage play, 'Surviving Spike', sees Milligan portrayed by the entertainer Michael Barrymore. On 9 June 2006 it was reported that Professor Richard Wiseman had identified Milligan as the writer of the world's funniest joke as decided by the Laughlab project. Professor Wiseman said the joke contained all three elements of what makes a good gag: anxiety, a feeling of superiority, and an element of surprise.[13] Members of Monty Python greatly admired him, and gave Milligan a cameo role in their 1979 film, Monty Python's Life of Brian when Milligan happened to be holidaying in Tunisia, near where the Pythons were filming.

Radio comedy shows The Goon Show (1951–1960) The Idiot Weekly (1958–1962) The Omar Khayyam Show (1963–1964) Milligna (or Your Favourite Spike) (1972) (The title is based on Milligan's introduction in The Last Goon Show of All as "Spike Milligna, the well-known typing error".) The Milligan Papers (1987) Milligan contributed his recollections of his childhood in India for the acclaimed 1970s BBC audio history series Plain Tales From The Raj. The series was published in book form in 1975 by Andre Deutsch, edited by Charles Allen. TV comedy shows The Idiot Weekly, Price 2d A Show Called Fred Son of Fred The World of Beachcomber The Q series: Q5, Q6, Q7, Kuwait (Q8), Q9, and There's a Lot of It About Curry & Chips Other notable TV involvement Edit Six-Five Special, first aired on 31 August 1957. Spike Milligan plays an inventor, Mr.

Pym, and acts as a butcher in a sketch. In 1975 Milligan co-wrote (with Neil Shand) and co-starred in a BBC TV sitcom called The Melting Pot. Its cast of characters included two illegal Indian immigrants, an Irish landlord, a Chinese Cockney, a Scottish Arab and virtually every other racial stereotype possible. After screening the pilot, the series was deemed to be too offensive for transmission. Five episodes remain unseen. Some of the characters and situations were reused in Milligan's novel The Looney. Tiswas 1981 edition Narrator of The Ratties (1987), a children's cartoon series written by Mike Wallis and Laura Milligan, Spike's daughter. The Phantom Raspberry Blower of Old London Town ran as a serial in The Two Ronnies in the 1970s. Special guest star of the 18 January 1979 edition of The Muppet Show Guest star in the 3rd episode of the award-winning BBC Scotland drama series Takin' Over the Asylum (1994) Narrated the 1995 TV showWolves, Witches and Giants.

A cartoon based on the book of the same name, it retold classic tales such as Little Red Riding Hood and Cinderella. Only five episodes were made. Theatre Edit Treasure Island (1961, 1973–1975) The Bed-Sitting Room (1963, 1967) written by Milligan and John Antrobus Oblomov opened at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, in 1964. It was based on the Russian classic by Ivan Goncharov, and gave Milligan the opportunity to play most of the title role in bed. Unsure of his material, on the opening night he improvised a great deal, treating the audience as part of the plot almost, and he continued in this manner for the rest of the run, and on tour as 'Son Of Oblomov'. Films Edit The Bed-Sitting Room (1969), post-apocalyptic comedy with Peter Cook and Dudley Moore and also Arthur Lowe; written by John Antrobus based on the Milligan/Antrobus play. Milligan had a small role as a postman named "Mate", which was also the name of a Goon Show character.

The Great McGonagall, untalented Scottish poet (based on William Topaz McGonagall) angles to become laureate, with Peter Sellers as Queen Victoria. Down Among the Z Men (1952), played Eccles in a detective/military black and white film with all The Goons including early member Michael Bentine and original announcer Andrew Timothy. The Case of the Mukkinese Battle Horn, a Goon-like 2-reel comedy ("Mukkinese" = "mucky knees"). The Running, Jumping and Standing Still Film, a silent comedy, Richard Lester's debut film. Adolf Hitler: My Part in his Downfall, a film adaption of the first volume of his autobiography. Spike played the part of his father. The role of the young Spike Milligan was played by Jim Dale. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1972) as Gryphon. The decrepit manager of a seedy London hotel in Bruce Beresford's The Adventures of Barry McKenzie (1972). Monsieur Bonacieux, husband of Madame Bonacieux (Raquel Welch) in Richard Lester's The Three Musketeers (1973).

The prophet abandoned by his flock in Life of Brian. The traffic warden who eats the ticket in The Magic Christian. The decrepit Geste family retainer Crumpet in The Last Remake of Beau Geste, with Marty Feldman. Monsieur Rimbaud in History of the World, Part I. Country postman Harold Petts in Postman's Knock (1962). A royal herald who accidentally blows a spy's cover in Yellowbeard. A policeman who briefly talks to Dr. Watson and Stapleton when they first arrive on the moors in The Hound of the Baskervilles.

Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World 1973 children's comedy Books Edit Silly Verse for Kids (1959); the 1968 paperback edition omits one poem and adds some from the next two books A Dustbin of Milligan (1961) Goblins The Little Pot Boiler (1963) Puckoon (1963) A Book of Bits, or A Bit of a Book (1965) A Book of Milliganimals (1968) Badjelly the Witch (1973) The Looney: An Irish Fantasy (1987) The Bedside Milligan "The War (and Peace) Memoirs" The seven memoirs were also recorded as talking books with Spike reciting them in his own inimitable style. Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall (1971) Rommel? Gunner Who? A Confrontation in the Desert (1974) Monty: His Part in My Victory (1976) This and the previous two books were released and publicised as the first, second and third part respectively of a trilogy.

Mussolini: His Part in My Downfall (1978) This was announced as the fourth part of his "increasingly misnamed" trilogy. Where Have All the Bullets Gone? (1985) Goodbye Soldier (1986) Peace Work (1992) Small Dreams of a Scorpion Hidden Words: Collected Poems Open Heart University Startling Verse for All the Family Sir Nobonk and the Terrible Dreadful Awful Naughty Nasty Dragon A Mad Medley of Milligan Transports of Delight More Transports of Delight Depression and How to Survive It (with Professor Anthony Clare), medical biography.

It Ends with Magic The Murphy Milligan's Ark The "According to" Books The Bible—the Old Testament According to Spike Milligan Black Beauty According to Spike Milligan D.H.Lawrence's John Thomas and Lady Jane: According to Spike Milligan—Part II of "Lady Chatterley's Lover" Frankenstein According to Spike Milligan The Hound of the Baskervilles According to Spike Milligan Lady Chatterley's Lover According to Spike Milligan Robin Hood According to Spike Milligan Treasure Island According to Spike Milligan Wuthering Heights According to Spike Milligan Quotations Edit Spike Milligan "When I look back, the fondest memory I have is not really of the Goons. It is of a girl called Julia with enormous breasts." Of his honorary CBE — "I can't see the sense in it really. It makes me a Commander of the British Empire. They might as well make me a Commander of Milton Keynes — at least that exists." On his bouts of clinical depression — "It's the nature of who you are. You will see sunsets in a special way, you will see life in a special way. The Milligans are like Arab racehorses.

We'll kick the stable to pieces, but we'll always win the race." Of heaven — "I'd like to go there. But if Jeffrey Archer is there, I want to go to Lewisham." -- Muppetstudios 20:08, 29 July 2008 (UTC)

Question: Whose first volume of war memoirs was called 'Adolf Hitler, My Part In His Downfall'?
Answer: SPIKE MILLIGAN